Hardening my home on a budget

[justang1997]

So I've recently started fixing all the small security related things around my house that has been nagging me. I was surprised at the low cost as I had figured it would cost significantly more. Figured I'd post what I have done and plan to do and the costs for anyone who may be considering the same things.

I started with lighting on the back of my house because it backs up to a cow field and is super dark and that's the way I'd approach my home if I were gonna rob it. I had 2 dinky single bulb low cost contractor bulk pack fixtures on the back of my house. One on the rear garage exit door and one on the door leading to the deck. Keeping the electric bill in min I wanted to shoot for LED bulbs so I headed to Home Depot and found the budget Defiant brand motion sensor light fixture. It was $13. Its only cons are its sensor only picks up in a 110 degree field but that's really a non issue for me because I have 2 lights on the rear of my house. I just pointed the sensor at the deck steps. Another con of this fixture is its rated for 120w total bulb output. That means 2 60w incandescent bulbs. Since I am using LED, that's a non issue. One plus to this fixture is that its plastic and won't rust. It isn't decorative or anything but its on the back side of my home so I don't care about that. I found 2 Ecosmart brand 950 lumen LED bulbs on clearance for $23 each. They use 17 watts for 34 watts total and 1900 lumens lighting the deck area. They have a 23 year life expectancy.

My total investment on deck area lighting was $59.

[justang1997]

Next up was the back garage door. I wanted some constant light source in the back yard so I didn't go with a motion sensor on this fixture. The budget model day/night sensor light is $15 and has a sturdy metal housing. It comes on at night and off in the day time. Pretty simple. Now I wanted to find 2 more ecosmart LED bulbs on clearance but they were sold out and I can't afford $40 per bulb on a 2 bulb fixture. I did however find cfl flood lights in a 2 pack for $10 total. Pretty good deal. They each put out 650 lumens and only use 14 watts. That's 28w total which is nice since these are on all night and they make a combined 1300 lumens. I pointed one bulb at my deck stairs so that it will shine through the stairs and illuminate the underside and one strait out into the back yard. Now the garage door never gets used and it only had a knob lock on it. It has a huge window on the door. I decided to take the knob off and install a double keyed deadbolt in the knob hole. The deadbolt is budget Defiant brand and was $11. If someone breaks the window the bolt can't be unlocked from the inside without a key.

Total for garage door area is $36.

[justang1997]

Next up is securing a window with plexiglass on the side of my house, and adding motion and day night fixtures to the front of my home. Those will cost more due to my wife insisting they not look plain jane so probably in 2 weeks.

[Wyldman]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160989212279?ss ... 1438.l2649

[justang1997]

^Eventually...

[guncrank1]

You may want to consider a alarm system
Skylink is what I use in my shop and I have one I need to install for my home.
Wireless and comes with a autodialer.

I also used those solar charged LED lights and the front and side of my home
Got two more for the other side and back.
Not much money and no wiring and they go anywhere.

[guncrank1]

Screwing some plywood to the back of a hollow core door will increase strength.

[guncrank1]

Lexan is what we use at the food plant to make shatter proof guards.

[justang1997]

Yeah I'm looking at a solar light for my shed doors. And the Lexan is about $109. I'm not sure I'm happy with that price. I could do a couple lexan strips to make entry impossible but it would keep the glass from breaking. Luckily my doors are steel with solid core.

[son of liberty]

Just a ghetto tip, Yoiu can remove one of the light bulbs in the motion lights and screw in the adapter that allows you to plug a cord in to a light socket and use it like an electrical outlet , then plug a drop light in to that and run it in the house with a colored bulb, plug a radio in to the drop light outlet with the power switch in the on position, so when the sensor trips it turns the bulb on and the radio wakes you up. Im sure that there are much better options then this but in a pinch its a rednecked up security system.

[Dashammer]

That poor boy alarm system from SOL sounds cool. Saw a demo on a window treatment film kind of like the stuff you use to darken car windows with looked easy to apply and you don't have to replace your whole house windows that can be real expensive. Dude applied that stuff on a picture window and then whaled on it with a bat and crowbar and stuff and the window didn't even crack. if you use your head you can fortify a house to hell and back on the cheap.

[justang1997]

I did something similar with a wireless motion sensor set I had. It had receivers that you screwed into the bulb sockets and then the bulbs went into the receivers. I put a receiver inside and one outside so when the motion sensor was tripped it turned on the porch light and also a lamp inside. The set was junky china crap tho

[justang1997]

Looks like a dusk to dawn bulb exists so when I buy decorative fixtures they need not have the sensor included.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Philips-14-Wat ... 203320817/

[fromkentucky]

Have you considered a Door Devil kit?

[justang1997]

Have you considered a [Door Devil](http://www.doordevil.com/) kit?

I have replaced all of the main entry doors screws with 3 inch deck screws. I replaced the striker plate screws on the deadbolt and knob striker plates as well as the hinges. All of the old screws mounted to the trim and not the frame. With the deck screws in place they mount to the frame. There are 3 hinges on the door and each hinge has 4 holes per side. So 8 screws total. When the door was put on when the home was built they only put 3 screws per side. So I was glad I checked that out. The old hinge screws were about 1 inch or less. Deck screws aren't cheap for the good ones but I already had a box so it was a free upgrade.

[Wyldman]

Do you have a sliding glass door?

[Ar-Rob]

best way to secure your home is actually free.Just come get this doberman I have.

[Frailer]

Just a ghetto tip, Yoiu can remove one of the light bulbs in the motion lights and screw in the adapter that allows you to plug a cord in to a light socket and use it like an electrical outlet , then plug a drop light in to that and run it in the house with a colored bulb, plug a radio in to the drop light outlet with the power switch in the on position, so when the sensor trips it turns the bulb on and the radio wakes you up. Im sure that there are much better options then this but in a pinch its a rednecked up security system.

Not a bad idea, but if I did this raccoons, 'possums, deer, etc. would wake me up a dozen times a night.

[son of liberty]

Just a ghetto tip, Yoiu can remove one of the light bulbs in the motion lights and screw in the adapter that allows you to plug a cord in to a light socket and use it like an electrical outlet , then plug a drop light in to that and run it in the house with a colored bulb, plug a radio in to the drop light outlet with the power switch in the on position, so when the sensor trips it turns the bulb on and the radio wakes you up. Im sure that there are much better options then this but in a pinch its a rednecked up security system.

Not a bad idea, but if I did this raccoons, 'possums, deer, etc. would wake me up a dozen times a night.

ya that is how I thunk it up the first time, damn dog getting in some trash cans when I was a kid. I owned that critter with a wrist rocket and a 3/4 ounce lead sinker right in the noodle!

[justang1997]

Do you have a sliding glass door?

No but the doors leading to my deck have glass with full length blinds in between the panes.

[Dashammer]

Got an Old School Army FM on Mount operations and an old FM on Russia tactics at Stalingrad around here some where show's what can be done with a roll of barbed wire or woven wire and a staple gun/hammer and nails and a bunch of funiture.